No respite for Abu Karim
Two sedition cases were filed yesterday against the force-retired information secretary on charges of writing a satirical verse on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members and publishing malicious remarks subversive to the state.
One case was also filed against the publisher of the book 'Baganey Phutey Achhey Anek Golap', accusing him of publishing a controversial book about a great leader and his family.
Earlier on Sunday, an Awami League (AL) leader filed a defamation case against the former information secretary ATM Fazlul Karim, who writes under the pen name Abu Karim, on the same charges.
ATM Fazlul Karim was sent on compulsory retirement on Monday by the government after the case was filed against him.
Advocate Omar Faruque filed the case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka accusing Abu Karim and Sayeed Bari, proprietor of the Suchipatra Prorkashana while AL leader CS Alam filed another case with the same court accusing only Abu Karim.
After the hearing, Metropolitan Magistrate Kanika Biswas recorded statements of both complainants and fixed March 2 for order on the cases.
In his complaint, advocate Omar mentioned that the accused had written a verse titled 'Baganey Phutey Achhey Anek Golap' in February 2006 and Suchipatra Prokashana published the book in Ekushey Book Fair in 2008.
The Daily Amader Samoy published an excerpt from the book on February 20 this year and the complainant learnt about the publication from the daily.
The daily quoted different lines from the verse where the accused claimed that 'only 30,000 people were killed during the Liberation War in 1971 and now that figure was being altered to claim that 30 lakh people had been killed'.
The complainant said that this kind of distortion of facts can create a wrong idea among the 14 crore citizens of Bangladesh and is also a threat to the sovereignty of the nation.
The accused defamed the independence of the country and belittled the sacrifices of the war martyrs and such heinous offences and activities are subversive to the state, the complainant added.
The accused also hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslims in the country by making a blasphemous remark about Islam, the state religion of the country, he said.
In the book, the writer referred to Bangabandhu as Latifur Rahman and also called him 'Alubokhra' (plum), he referred to Sheikh Kamal as Kamalakoli, Sheikh Jamal as Jamtoli and Sheikh Russel as Roskoli, the complainant said.
Such defamatory writings have damaged and undermined the image of Bangabandhu's living family members -- Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana -- and his party Bangladesh Awami League and its front organisations.
In his complaint, CS Alam, member of Awami Bastuhara League Central Committee, brought the same charges against the accused.
Both the complainants prayed for issuance of arrest warrants against the accused for committing such offences.
Advocates Kazi Najibullah Hiru, Fazilatunnessa Bappi, Abdul Khaleque Miah and Moshiur Malek appeared for the complainants.
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